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Journal Article

On the NASA GEDI and ESA CCI biomass maps: aligning for uptake in the UNFCCC global stocktake

Authors

Hunka,  Neha
External Organizations;

Santoro,  Maurizio
External Organizations;

Armston,  John
External Organizations;

Dubayah,  Ralph
External Organizations;

McRoberts,  Ronald E
External Organizations;

Næsset,  Erik
External Organizations;

Quegan,  Shaun
External Organizations;

Urbazaev,  Mikhail
External Organizations;

Pascual,  Adrián
External Organizations;

May,  Paul B
External Organizations;

Minor,  David
External Organizations;

Leitold,  Veronika
External Organizations;

Basak,  Paromita
External Organizations;

Liang,  Mengyu
External Organizations;

Melo,  Joana
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/herold

Herold,  Martin
1.4 Remote Sensing, 1.0 Geodesy, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Málaga,  Natalia
External Organizations;

Wilson,  Sylvia
External Organizations;

Durán Montesinos,  Patricia
External Organizations;

Arana,  Alexs
External Organizations;

Ernesto De La Cruz Paiva,  Ricardo
External Organizations;

Ferrand,  Jeremy
External Organizations;

Keoka,  Somphavy
External Organizations;

Guerra-Hernández,  Juan
External Organizations;

Duncanson,  Laura
External Organizations;

External Ressource
No external resources are shared
Fulltext (public)

5025159.pdf
(Publisher version), 3MB

Supplementary Material (public)
There is no public supplementary material available
Citation

Hunka, N., Santoro, M., Armston, J., Dubayah, R., McRoberts, R. E., Næsset, E., Quegan, S., Urbazaev, M., Pascual, A., May, P. B., Minor, D., Leitold, V., Basak, P., Liang, M., Melo, J., Herold, M., Málaga, N., Wilson, S., Durán Montesinos, P., Arana, A., Ernesto De La Cruz Paiva, R., Ferrand, J., Keoka, S., Guerra-Hernández, J., Duncanson, L. (2023): On the NASA GEDI and ESA CCI biomass maps: aligning for uptake in the UNFCCC global stocktake. - Environmental Research Letters, 18, 124042.
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad0b60


Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5025159
Abstract
Earth Observation data are uniquely positioned to estimate forest aboveground biomass density (AGBD) in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) principles of 'transparency, accuracy, completeness, consistency and comparability'. However, the use of space-based AGBD maps for national-level reporting to the UNFCCC is nearly non-existent as of 2023, the end of the first global stocktake (GST). We conduct an evidence-based comparison of AGBD estimates from the NASA Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation and ESA Climate Change Initiative, describing differences between the products and National Forest Inventories (NFIs), and suggesting how science teams must align efforts to inform the next GST. Between the products, in the tropics, the largest differences in estimated AGBD are primarily in the Congolese lowlands and east/southeast Asia. Where NFI data were acquired (Peru, Mexico, Lao PDR and 30 regions of Spain), both products show strong correlation to NFI-estimated AGBD, with no systematic deviations. The AGBD-richest stratum of these, the Peruvian Amazon, is accurately estimated in both. These results are remarkably promising, and to support the operational use of AGB map products for policy reporting, we describe targeted ways to align products with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines. We recommend moving towards consistent statistical terminology, and aligning on a rigorous framework for uncertainty estimation, supported by the provision of open-science codes for large-area assessments that comprehensively report uncertainty. Further, we suggest the provision of objective and open-source guidance to integrate NFIs with multiple AGBD products, aiming to enhance the precision of national estimates. Finally, we describe and encourage the release of user-friendly product documentation, with tools that produce AGBD estimates directly applicable to the IPCC guideline methodologies. With these steps, space agencies can convey a comparable, reliable and consistent message on global biomass estimates to have actionable policy impact.